Postscript

We have been back home for 10 days and are so glad we made it before the Escalade completely gave out.  The problem has been repaired.....the ball bearing on the front left tire had cracked and was the cause of all the noise.  After a costly repair, the Escalade is ready to drive again.  But we will still start shopping for a new car, maybe buying  by the end of the year or sooner if we win a lottery.

Escalade 2011 - Photo from July 2011

Movies of Our Captiva Trip 2019

We have not visited Captiva Island since 2019 because of mobility issues but our hearts are full of great times and memories of our days there. It's fun to revisit Captiva through this blog and photographs. 

I am adding movie videos that I made of our stay on Captiva Island in 2019 so that I can share.  To view video, if you open this in email, please go to my blog by clicking the link below and the click on the arrow for each video.

Part 1 Captiva Cottage

Part 2 Bird spots on Captiva and Sanibel

Part 3 Ding Darling Wildlife Reserve

Part 4 Captiva Beach

Arrived Home

We were up at 7am.  Breakfast in the lobby.....food bar not maintained well....out of hot foods, yogurt, etc... women at desk too busy talking.    We left Farragut about 9am heading home.  Traffic not too bad, should be home in 9 hours. Stopped in Cincinnati for gas.  We had a lunch of corned beef sandwiches packed for the road, so we did not have to stop to eat.  After leaving Cincinnati, we began to hear noises from the Escalade.....which came and went and .... we managed to drive very carefully and made it home...but it was a stressful drive the last 3 hours.  ABS button and Service Light for  stabilitrak came on as we approached last few miles.  Suspect major problem with the Escalade and may be car shopping soon.  Not the ending we wanted for the end of our great trip.

Arrived back to North Canton about 6:30, before dark.  We stopped at Grinder's to pick up an order that we called in.  When we got home....BUMMER!...they gave us the wrong order of salad and garlic order for one. So, Al had to go back to get our Crab Cake dinner.

But we are thankful that we are home safe and sound. But why is it snowing??? It's spring already!!

Second Day of Drive Home

Sunday, Mar 17
Today is Happy St. Patrick's Day! 💚

We were up at 7am and ate breakfast in the lobby at the Super 8...small waffles with banana, juice, and coffee.
On the road to Farragut, TN by 9am.  Arrived there at 1:15 after a short traffic delay due to an accident....we passed what looked like a car that had burned, but fire had been extinguished. 
We stopped at Kroger's for some flowers and dinner supplies before heading to Cecilia's to celebrate St. Pat's with her.  She had a Forsythia bush full of yellow blooms and  beautiful daffodils blooming at her front door. Spring has arrived!

We celebrated being together and the holiday with a Corned Beef dinner with cabbage, potatoes, onions, and carrots with glasses of wine.  Shared a large St. Pat's cupcake for dessert.  A fun day with my sister.

We stayed at Super 8 near the interstate in Room 126.  

First Day of Trip Home

Saturday, Mar 16
Our visit to Captiva Island has been a wonderful six weeks even though I was sick with a sore throat and cold the first 2 weeks.   The weather has been perfect the whole time....just a couple of cool,   cloudy, rainy days but no cold weather like in snowy, cold Ohio.
We began our morning at 6.  After packing the last of our food, toiletries, etc. we had coffee and pastries.  We left the cottage 7:45 just after sunrise and made a stop at the Speedway in Sanibel for gas.  It was another cloudy and rainy (light) day but that can be better than driving in bright sun.
The traffic was terrible on I75 with delays because of road work, congestion, and accidents.  It took over 6 hours to go  as far as Ocala which is usually only a 4 hour drive.   The traffic problems continued with more delays throughout the drive.  We did not arrive in Locust Grove,, GA until 8:00, a total of 12 hours driving what should have been a 9 hour drive.  We need to look for an alternate route before doing this again?
We then had a problem with checking in to the Super 8....we given keys for room 129 which we had reserved but it was already occupied.....as much a surprise to the occupant as us.  We were then given keys for room 128 which was good.
After we finally got into a room, we went to Gambino's Mexican Grill  for dinner.  3rd time to eat here and the Mexican food is good although the place is a dive.  Short wait for a table...maybe 10 minutes.  Al ordered Grilled Chicken Burrito with onions and cheese with cheese sauce, lettuce, tomatoes, sour cream served with beans and rice.  Al even liked the beans and rice. I ordered Combo of Beef Taco, Beef Burrito, and Beef Enchilada.  Wish the tacos had some Pico de Galo or guacamole sauce.  Served table basket of chips and great salsa.

Day 41 Captiva 2019

Friday, Mar 15
Today is our last day of our stay in Captiva.  Tomorrow we will head for home.  The day was cloudy, not good weather for being at the pool or beach.  Maybe that was for the best, since we finished packing the car all except the few things that we will load in the morning.
  I did take a stroll on the beach about 10:00 just in time to see the Thriller on an early tour.

We ate breakfast of eggs, zucchini with red peppers, toast, and juice.  We then walked over to Rene's but he was not in the office so we went to the bay and sat for awhile.

 Birds across the bay

We returned to the pool and sat under the gazebo while it sprinkled rain and enjoyed the last of the ice cream.  Rene stopped by to visit and say good-bye.

For our "last dinner" on the islands, we went to Lazy Flamingo and sat at the bar for our last oysters on the half shell.  Al ordered the Fried Oyster Basket (what else is there?) and I had Clam Chowder.
Not much of a sunset tonight as it is still cloudy.  Early to bed early because we get up early in the morn.

Day 40 Captiva 2019

Thursday, Mar 14
We were out early at 7 for to see the 7:30 sunrise...we drove to the nearby Castaways Marina but was  not a good spot to see the sunrise so we headed to DDWR where we got a good view of the sun rising just as we entered the drive.

We continued our drive not seeing many birds but there were a lot of photographers waiting for more white pelicans.  Saw several roseate spoonbills. This will be the last trip to DDRW for this trip.

While we were at the pool this afternoon, the flock of Ibis returned for another visit.  One Ibis was brave enough to come to the pool for a drink.   It was a very hot day in the 80's so we guess they were lookin for a cool spot to hang out.

The Ibis were not the only ones looking for a cool spot:

We went to Doc Ford's on Captiva for an early dinner at 5.  Of course we started with a dozen fresh oysters on the half shell. Al ordered a new item on the menu- Steak Salad Chimichurri-marinated steak, asparagus, and red onions, over mixed greens tossed in chimichurri vinaigrette and topped with avocado and bleu cheese crumbles with dressing on the side. Very Good!  I ordered the appetizer of Calamari and we combined our orders.   Very good dinner.  Would order this again but the calamari salad is still my favorite item on the menu.

We arrived back at the cottage in time to walk across the street for the sunset.